BioServe Research and Technology
Portfolio
Wireless Sensor Network: BioNet
BioServe researchers are developing a wireless
environmental and crew physiological monitoring capability for the
International Space Station and for long-term human exploration of the moon
and Mars. This project combines
wireless sensor networks with the pre-existing BioServe ISS communication
protocol system to provide a flexible, easily deployable, environmental and
physiological monitoring system with automated streaming telemetry downlink
to groundside. This infrastructure
will enable NASA and university research personnel the ability to perform
real-time environmental and crew monitoring for the purposes of crew
safeguarding and advanced research during ISS missions. This infrastructure and system will then be
implemented for longer duration exploration missions. The system will allow for any sensor data
signal (e.g., CO2, temp, ECG, blood pressure), in analog or digital form,
that can interface with our BioNet wireless sensor
nodes, to be automatically forwarded to groundside eliminating crew time and
improving deployment and wear-ability.
Development of a Bone Loss Countermeasure
BioServe is working with industry to develop a
countermeasure for space flight induced osteopenia
and bone loss associated with disuse. Astronauts lose significant amounts of
bone density as a result of living in the space environment. One potential countermeasure is a fully
human monoclonal antibody that binds and neutralizes RANKL, a key mediator of
osteoclast differentiation and activation in
bone. This compound is a naturally
occurring protein discovered by Amgen Inc. scientists in the mid 1990s and is
currently in Phase III clinical trials for the treatment of osteoporosis and
the bone loss associated with specific forms of cancer. This therapeutic is
potentially superior to other treatments available to astronauts because it
is not incorporated into the bone, has excellent safety data, minimal side
effects and is easy to administer – subcutaneous injection once every 6
months. Its effectiveness was proven
in space using an animal model on board STS-108. BioServe is currently exploring conducting
a bed rest study that would utilize this compound to demonstrate its
effectiveness in preventing bone loss in humans in a disuse situation commonly
used by NASA as an accepted simulation of space flight.
Development of a Muscle Atrophy Countermeasure
BioServe is working with industry to develop a
countermeasure for space flight induced sarcopenia
or muscle atrophy that occurs in astronauts as a result of living in the
space environment. Muscle atrophy is a
significant health risk observed in astronauts during and after long-duration
space flight. On Earth it affects the
elderly and individuals suffering from paralysis or other symptoms that
result in a loss of appropriate levels of exercise and movement. This condition must be countered for long
duration manned space missions whether they are conducted within the
International Space Station or beyond low earth orbit. Currently there is no
therapeutic treatment or non-exercise countermeasure for the muscle loss
associated with long-duration space flight.
BioServe uses its expertise in conducting animal and human disuse
models (bed rest) to evaluate the mechanism behind muscle loss as well as
potential therapeutics. BioServe is
also beginning to develop the capabilities to examine the effects of disuse
muscle atrophy on connective tissue and extracellular
structural elements and examine the effects of blocking muscle atrophy on the
overall health of the connective tissue.
Space Radiation Effects on Bone and Countermeasure Testing
BioServe researchers are attempting to characterize the
potential synergistic effects of both microgravity and radiation exposure on
bone loss. BioServe scientists are
examining potential countermeasures to this bone loss, and possibly increased
fracture risk, for a long-duration mission to Mars. Two of the most serious biomedical problems
associated with a long-duration mission to Mars, as identified by NASA, are
the bone loss caused by microgravity and the mutagenic and immune system
changes cause by radiation exposure.
Activation of the immune system by radiation exposure is likely to
increase osteoclastic bone resorption,
providing an additional mechanism for bone loss. In collaboration with Loma Linda
University, this
project initially examines the effect of iron particle radiation (simulating
galactic cosmic rays) on the skeletal system.
Preliminary data indicates that the bone loss caused by radiation
exposure is significant. Over the next 2-3 years this project will examine
low-energy proton radiation (simulating a solar particle event), the combined
effect of radiation and skeletal unloading and begin evaluating potential
countermeasures.
A Disuse Model for Examination of Bone and Muscle Loss
BioServe has developed expertise in the area of animal
disuse models to examine bone and muscle loss. BioServe researchers specialize in a tail
suspension model of disuse, though they have expertise with nerve crush and neurectomy models as well. In conjunction with these disuse models, BioServe has also developed a
novel combination of methods to assess sarcopenia
and muscle performance in mice.
Effective Antibiotic Treatment in Low Gravity
BioServe researchers are working to develop a predictive
tool for establishing Minimal Inhibitory Concentration (MIC) of antibiotic compounds
under spaceflight conditions for diagnosis and dose determination against
bacterial pathogens. Treatment of
bacterial infections becomes increasingly important as humans travel further
from Earth. Pharmacological effects
must be understood in terms of changes in drug effectiveness and dosage
protocol. Characterizing changes in drug resistance and distribution is
critical for developing effective in-flight therapeutic intervention. This
study also addresses aspects relevant to the growing concern of world wide
multi-drug resistance by human pathogens, which poses a serious and immediate
threat to public health accounting for ~$30 billion/yr in treatment costs in
the US
alone.
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